Final Words: John 17

Final Words: Good Plans

March 3rd, 2024/Casey Middle School

Pray:

Passage: John 17:1-26 CSB. This is the final chapter in the series “Final Words”. We’ll be continuing through the Gospel of John next week in a new collection of talks titled “King Jesus”. Have you been blessed by this series?

Question: Have you ever been prayed over by someone you admire? Maybe it was a pastor, close friend, or family member… someone that God used in a moment to intercede on your behalf and you were deeply moved.

Story: Being prayed over at Zoe Conference. Wow. This is happening. I was a mess! Tears for days!

Intro: As amazing as it was to be prayed over by men of God that I admire, did you know that Jesus is praying for you? He is interceding on your behalf! This is the miraculous work of our Savior. He is not only our Lord and Savior, but He is our intercessor! Whoa! Good news! Never again can you wonder if anyone is praying for you.

Jesus is interceding for us right now:

• “Who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is the one who died, but even more, has been raised; he also is at the right hand of God and intercedes for us.” - Romans 8:34
• “Therefore, he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, since he always lives to intercede for them.” - Hebrews 7:25
• “My little children, I am writing you these things so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ the righteous one.” - 1 John 2:1

How powerful to know that when you are interceding for others, you are joining in the prayer of heaven! What incredible power is available when we partner with Christ in prayer.

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In this text we see Jesus in His final hours, and what do we see Him doing? Praying! With only twelve hours left to live, He wasn’t in the streets in public ministry and performing miracles, instead He was doing the great work of intercession and communion with the Father. Prayer is the chief task of every leader. You may be a gifted leader, but a leader that doesn’t pray will only sustain at the level of his or her own natural ability. BUT a leader that prays touches heaven and experiences the supernatural power of God. “Followers think of leadership in terms of the visible. In reality, leadership is like an iceberg; most of it lies unseen.” - John Maxwell. Prayer keeps the leader humble. Prayer keeps the leader focused on God's agenda. Prayer sustains the leader in every season. And prayer keeps the leader's heart full of grace toward people. Be a leader that prays.

“1 Jesus spoke these things, looked up to heaven, and said…”

It was the custom of the day to look up to heaven and they would often raise their hands to the heavens and pray. Today we bow our heads and cross our fingers. He then prays out loud, today we pray silently and often in our own minds. What if we practiced the posture and model of our Lord? What if we fell on our knees, hands up, eyes up, and began to cry out loud! God knows your heart, and He loves to hear your prayers regardless of posture and volume. I don’t see this as prescriptive, but more as an insight. :)

Background:

This is the final chapter in what’s referred to as the “Upper Room Discourse”. Jesus prays this prayer after encouraging His disciples with this word “I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world.” (John 16:33) The word “world” is used nineteen times in this chapter. To understand the depths of this prayer and to apply its truths to our lives, will help to enable us to become overcomers.

This prayer is the longest recorded prayer by Jesus in the Bible. Just a few moments later He would be carried away to be brutally tortured and ultimately crucified. Before His greatest moments of suffering, He lingered in prayer with the Father. This prayer has been commonly referred to as the “High Priestly Prayer”, where our High Priest intercedes on our behalf to the Father. It could also be seen as the ‘holy of holies’ as we get a glimpse of God the Son speaking to God the Father. So let us (figuratively) take off our shoes and lean in to what He has to say to us today.

You have heard of the “Lord's Prayer” found in Matthew 6:9-13. Jesus used this prayer as a model prayer for the disciples, so a better title might be “The Disciples' Prayer”. This passage in John 17 would actually be our “Lord's Prayer”. In this prayer Jesus prays what we cannot pray, and in Matthew Jesus teaches us a prayer that He would never pray. For Jesus need not pray “And forgive us our debts”, because He was the perfect lamb of God.

The common outline for this passage is seen in most of your bibles. Jesus prays for himself (1-5), Jesus prays for His disciples (6-19), and Jesus prays for all believers (20-26). The disciples must have taken great comfort in the truth of this prayer, since the bulk of this passage is for them. Jesus prayed for their eternal life (V2), security (V11-12), joy (V13), holiness (V17-19), and unity (V21). Even though they hadn’t yet fully grasped all that was to come, they must have felt a deep sense of comfort hearing their Master and Savior interceding on their behalf to the Father.

Title: Good Plans

Big Idea: These words were spoken out loud for the disciples to hear, and written down by the Apostles so that we might be comforted and transformed still today. I can’t cover all of this prayer, but I will do my best to highlight 3 aspects of His prayer that will bring comfort and send you out with hope!

Main Points:

1. Eternal Life (1-5)

   1. 1 Jesus spoke these things, looked up to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you, 2 since you gave him authority over all people, so that he may give eternal life to everyone you have given him. 3 This is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and the one you have sent —Jesus Christ. 4 I have glorified you on the earth by completing the work you gave me to do. 5 Now, Father, glorify me in your presence with that glory I had with you before the world existed.

   2. The Completed “Work” (John 17:4)

      1. His messages and miracles on earth (John 5:17–19)
      2. Training of the disciples for future service
      3. Most of all, His sacrifice on the cross (Heb. 9:24–28; 10:11–18).

      4. It’s by this completed “work” that we are able to receive eternal life.

         3. You are the “gift” from God the Father to Jesus, God the Son.

      5. Illust: You must think you’re God's gift to the world… no but I know I’m God’s gift to His Son.

      6. “Seven times Jesus states that believers are the Father’s gift to His Son (John 17:2, 6, 9, 11–12, 24). We are accustomed to thinking of Jesus as the Father’s love gift to us (John 3:16), but the Lord affirms that believers are the Father’s “love gift” to His beloved Son!” - Warren W. Wiersbe

         4. The Gift of eternal life is to know God the Father and to know the Son.

      7. Eternal life is a mystery. It is beyond our understanding. We think of eternal life as an extended period of time, but in Heaven there will be no time. God operates outside of time. Eternal life is to know God personally. Forever starts now! When you are growing in your understanding of God and building relationship with Him, this is what you will do for all eternity!

      8. It is not enough to simply believe in God, apart from faith in Jesus, you cannot know God, and cannot experience eternal life. (John 14:6).
      9. “They conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony” (Revelation 12:11)

      10. To not know and trust Jesus, is to not know and trust the Father. Without Jesus we have no inheritance as Sons and Daughters of the King.

          5. The Sovereignty of God

      11. From the human viewpoint, we receive eternal life when we put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ, but from the divine viewpoint, we have already been given to the Son in divine election.

      12. This is a profound mystery that we cannot understand, but we believe by faith and we enjoy the blessings of His sovereignty.

      13. “For those he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, so that he would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; and those he called, he also justified; and those he justified, he also glorified.” - Romans 8:29-30

          6. God answers His prayer:

      14. We share in his victory. We share in His resurrection. Because He is glorified, and seated at the right hand of the Father, we are overcomers!

      15. “because everyone who has been born of God conquers the world. This is the victory that has conquered the world: our faith.” - 1 John 5:4

2. Holiness (14-19)

   1. 14 I have given them your word. The world hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 I am not praying that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. 19 I sanctify myself for them, so that they also may be sanctified by the truth.
   2. The world hated them because they have stood on the Word of God. This is common in all walks of life. When you stand firm on Heaven's value system, God’s commands, and the Word of God, then you will be at odds with the agenda of Satan. These systems are in complete and total opposition to each other.
   3. “This book will keep you from sin or sin will keep you from this book.” - D.L. Moody

   4. Here are 10 comparisons between Heaven's agenda and the world's agenda, each supported by a passage of Scripture:

      1. Love vs. Selfishness
         1. Heaven's Agenda: "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another." (John 13:34, ESV)
         2. World's Agenda: "For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy..." (2 Timothy 3:2, ESV)
      2. Humility vs. Pride
         1. Heaven's Agenda: "Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you." (James 4:10, ESV)
         2. World's Agenda: "For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world." (1 John 2:16, ESV)
      3. Eternal Perspective vs. Temporal Focus
         1. Heaven's Agenda: "But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ." (Philippians 3:20, ESV)
         2. World's Agenda: "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?" (Matthew 16:26, ESV)
      4. Peace vs. Conflict
         1. Heaven's Agenda: "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God." (Matthew 5:9, ESV)
         2. World's Agenda: "What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you?" (James 4:1, ESV)
      5. Generosity vs. Greed
         1. Heaven's Agenda: "Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you." (Luke 6:38, ESV)
         2. World's Agenda: "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs." (1 Timothy 6:10, ESV)
      6. Faith vs. Fear
         1. Heaven's Agenda: "So we can confidently say, 'The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?'" (Hebrews 13:6, ESV)
         2. World's Agenda: "For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control." (2 Timothy 1:7, ESV)
      7. Forgiveness vs. Bitterness
         1. Heaven's Agenda: "Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you." (Ephesians 4:32, ESV)
         2. World's Agenda: "See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no 'root of bitterness' springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled." (Hebrews 12:15, ESV)
      8. Purity vs. Corruption
         1. Heaven's Agenda: "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." (Matthew 5:8, ESV)
         2. World's Agenda: "But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death." (James 1:14-15, ESV)
      9. Service vs. Self-Serving
         1. Heaven's Agenda: "For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." (Mark 10:45, ESV)
         2. World's Agenda: "But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth." (James 3:14, ESV)
      10. Truth vs. Deception
          1. Heaven's Agenda: "Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth." (John 17:17, ESV)
          2. World's Agenda: "For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ." (2 Corinthians 11:13, ESV)

      11. These comparisons highlight the stark contrasts between the values and priorities of Heaven and those of the world.

          5. We are called to be set apart in the world, NOT isolated from it, NOT a chameleon in it, BUT distinctly unique from everyone that doesn’t obey the Word of God! This should be a clear characteristic of someone who claims to follow Jesus and submits to the Word. It’s not my will! It’s not my desires! It’s not my propensities! It’s not my values! But God is my Lord and Master, and He has the final say!
          6. John Mark Comer refers to the world as “an echo chamber to our flesh.” Which is why we desperately need to be sanctified in it.
          7. “As you sent me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. 19 I sanctify myself for them, so that they also may be sanctified by the truth.” (John 17:18)

      12. We are called to live on mission. In Matthew 5:13-16 we are referred to as “salt and light”. As we are sanctified by the Word of God, hearing and obeying the Holy Spirit, we are then sent out into the world to represent the LOVE of God as His ambassadors. C’mon!

3. Unity (20-23)

   1. 20 “I pray not only for these, but also for those who believe in me through their word. 21 May they all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us, so that the world may believe you sent me. 22 I have given them the glory you have given me, so that they may be one as we are one. 23 I am in them and you are in me, so that they may be made completely one, that the world may know you have sent me and have loved them as you have loved me.
   2. Unity does not mean uniformity; it means harmony in diversity.
   3. Members of the body of Christ MUST work together in our differences and even celebrate our diversity for the advancement of the Gospel. We may differ on externals, but we must align the internals and eternals of our faith.
   4. “If, then, there is any encouragement in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, 2 make my joy complete by thinking the same way, having the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.” - Philippians 2:1-2

   5. In a world divided, we need a church united.

      1. The thing that most impresses the world is how well christians love and serve one another.
      2. Our unity together as the Body is for the mission of God that “the world may believe…”
         6. “In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity.” - a seventeenth-century saying, often credited to Rupertus Meldenius
         7. Unity, diversity, and love are critical components to understanding the Spirit's work in the body of Christ.
         8. “I have never yet known the Spirit of God to work where the Lord's people were divided.” DL Moody

Walking Points:

1. Choose eternal life with God, receive the gift of grace
2. Choose holiness through obedience to God, stand firm on truth
3. Choose unity in the body of Christ, so the world might believe

Closing: *Read the whole chapter as the band plays and altar time begins.

The great Scottish reformer, John Knox had become ill and was on his deathbed and they were reading Scripture to him, and at one point he looked to his wife, Margaret, and said, “Go. Go where I cast my first anchor.” She immediately knew what he was talking about, and she turned in her Bible to John 17. As Margaret continued to read, John Knox turned to her and said, “What a comfort that chapter is.” As she continued to read, he passed on to be with the Lord.

Jesus Prays for Himself

1 Jesus spoke these things, looked up to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you, 2 since you gave him authority over all people, so that he may give eternal life to everyone you have given him. 3 This is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and the one you have sent —Jesus Christ. 4 I have glorified you on the earth by completing the work you gave me to do. 5 Now, Father, glorify me in your presence with that glory I had with you before the world existed.

Jesus Prays for His Disciples

6 “I have revealed your name to the people you gave me from the world. They were yours, you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. 7 Now they know that everything you have given me is from you, 8 because I have given them the words you gave me. They have received them and have known for certain that I came from you. They have believed that you sent me. 9 “I pray for them. I am not praying for the world but for those you have given me, because they are yours. 10 Everything I have is yours, and everything you have is mine, and I am glorified in them. 11 I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by your name that you have given me, so that they may be one as we are one. 12 While I was with them, I was protecting them by your name that you have given me. I guarded them and not one of them is lost, except the son of destruction, so that the Scripture may be fulfilled. 13 Now I am coming to you, and I speak these things in the world so that they may have my joy completed in them. 14 I have given them your word. The world hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 I am not praying that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. 19 I sanctify myself for them, so that they also may be sanctified by the truth.

Jesus Prays for All Believers

20 “I pray not only for these, but also for those who believe in me through their word. 21 May they all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us, so that the world may believe you sent me. 22 I have given them the glory you have given me, so that they may be one as we are one. 23 I am in them and you are in me, so that they may be made completely one, that the world may know you have sent me and have loved them as you have loved me.

24 “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, so that they will see my glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the world’s foundation. 25 Righteous Father, the world has not known you. However, I have known you, and they have known that you sent me. 26 I made your name known to them and will continue to make it known, so that the love you have loved me with may be in them and I may be in them.”

Invitation:

If you want to make a decision to follow Jesus. Then join me and everyone else in the building as we pray out loud together. It’s not the prayer that saves you, but your faith, making Jesus Lord of your life. We don’t let anyone go on the journey alone. If you have faith in Jesus, then let’s join together as we pray…

Prayer of Salvation:

Jesus, I acknowledge that I need you

I confess that I have sinned against you

I believe that God raised you from the dead

And right now, by faith, I say “Jesus is Lord”

Thank you for forgiving me

By your grace I am saved

And by your power I am set free

Conclusion:

If you prayed that prayer for the first time then Scripture says “anyone who acknowledges me before others, I will acknowledge them before my Father”. I’m going to ask that if you prayed that prayer for the first time would you lift your hand and let me know so that I can celebrate with you.

1. God is so proud of you.

2. The angels are rejoicing.

3. And we believe God has a purpose for your life.

Would you let us know that you made a decision so that we can follow up with you and help you on your next steps?

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” - Psalm 23:6